March 2001 Mogazine - Morgans on the Gulf

MOGMOG’s First 3-Wheeler
March 2001
Kim Freeman shows us his 3-wheeler in full restoration, Freeman pg. 3
FROM THE LOFT
The brunch at Sambuca’s on Sunday, January 7th was a good start for the MOGMOG 2001 activities.
It was well attended.
We also had good representation in Lake Jackson at Kim and Janice Freeman’s in February and their
hospitality was much appreciated. Please see the article on page 3 about his 3-wheeler restoration.
We’re anxiously looking forward to the MOGMOG Bluebonnets 2001 event in New Braunfels on
April 20,21,22. Once again, this is a reminder.
• Have you made your room reservation at the Holiday Inn
• Have you sent in your registration for the event
We’ve had correspondence with Bert Roosebrand of Amsterdam about a possible assignment in
Houston for 4 years and about bringing their Morgan.
In the same vein, Kevin and Sonia Muller might spend 3-4 years in Houston and would bring their +8.
I also had discussions with Mark Herrington about buying a Morgan and Bob Chamberlain has been
corresponding with Paul Eckrich of Louisiana about joining MOGMOG.
Two weeks after Bluebonnets is the Lakeside Yacht Club Keels and Wheels event
The Chamberlains and the Krambergs will be attending UK Morgan events and I’ll be in France
attending Morgan events the last week in April and again for the Tour de France in late June
ALSO INSIDE:
Jim & Joanna Robinson—Morgan Beginnings
More Aero8 Press
Morgans on the Gulf—Morgan Owners Group
Calendar of Events
Bluebonnets 2001
Elsewhere Down
The Road
April 20-22
If you have not already registered
and made your hotel reservations,
please contact Henry Marks.
There will be an auto swap-meet @ the
Comal County Fairgrounds as well.
New Braunfels, TX
Wooden Keels &
Classic Wheels
May 5-6
We had 4 cars at the Keels &
Wheels last year. All told, there
were 231 cars and over 9,000
visitors. Will you join us next year?
Seabrook, TX
http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com/
Contact Bob Chamberlain
All-British Car Event
June 2
Hosted by the MG and Jaguar clubs,
this is a driving event, Funkhana,
and Slalom, etc. at Traders Village.
More details to come.
Vlammog 2001
April 26-29
Organized by the Morgan Sports
Car Club Belgium, this event
takes place in Flanders-Belgium.
http://www.vlammog2001.yucom.be
Bulbfield & Windmill Tour
of Holland
April 26-30 2001
Brunfield, Yorkshire
011-44-1484-606779
Mogazine is the semi-monthly
newsletter of Morgans on the Gulf
Morgan Owners Group,
headquartered in Houston, Texas.
MOGMOG is a non-profit car club
comprised of owners of Morgan
motor cars and Morgan enthusiasts.
Contact Marion
Morgans at LeMans 2001
MOGMOG Official Website
http://www.mogmog.org/
June 13-18 2001
Dallas Jones, CranMog
011-44-1908-542719
MOGMOG Officers 2001
Richard Jordan
[email protected]
011-44-1908-371245
President
& Editor
and appointed positions
MOG 2001
[email protected]
July 12-16 2001
TEXMOG XXI
October
Organized by the Dallas club. Date
and location to be announced.
Contact Bill Boyles 214.321.1648
[email protected]
Christmas Party
Please volunteer!
Cheltenham, the Cotswolds, UK
This is the worldwide premier
Morgan event. Expect to see in
excess of 1,000 Morgans.
Contact John & Marjorie Ingleby
([email protected])
MSCC Overseas Liaison 011-441934-822797 (FAX 823495)
For accomodations,
www.cheltenham.gov.uk/tourism
Vice President
& Activities
Treasurer
-Charles Neal
Joe Kramberg
713.661.9886
2910 Sunset Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
[email protected]
Secretary
From the March 2001 EDITORIAL by Charles Neal
If you were expecting a report on Morgans Over America, I’m sorry that it
still hasn’t gone in. But it will continue not to until we sort out a problem
with the organizers of the ‘official’ event, who are trying to prevent us from
publishing a report on the other event, organized by Richard and Anita
Jordan. So I’ve got to apologize to Ron & Brenda Alexander, Mary
Mathews, and Bill Morgan, who all wrote excellent articles about their trip,
they won’t be in the magazine until it is resolved. The article by Jeremy
Harrison won’t be printed either—I’m determined to give both sides a fair
chance to explain themselves.
Kathi Hoffman
713.995.9126
9306 Rentur
Houston, TX 77031
[email protected]
Corresponding
The Controversy Rages On
Henry Marks
713.224.0436
711 William St. #408
Houston, TX 77002
Bob Chamberlain
713.661.7405
3304 Sunset Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
[email protected]
Publisher
Dennis Heagney
713.467.8364
[email protected]
Webmaster
Morgan Marks
713.224.0436
[email protected]
Please submit articles, pictures, and
biographies to the editor.
The Restoration Begins…
Kim Freeman, proud
owner of what is
probably the last 4wheeled Morgan in
America has now
bravely taken upon a
new project—rebuilding
a three speed 1933 Super
Sport Aero with an SV
air-cooled JAP engine.
Some look at him with
profound admiration, but
most just shake their
heads and say he’s crazy.
After all, they say, he
only finally saw a real
Aero after he’d already
decided to purchase the
28 cardboard boxes of
miscellaneous Aeroesque
pieces from California.
Kim says the project is very much like conducting an
orchestra because so many folks are helping him. He
mentions people like Dave Pittuck and Bert Varady who
showed him what the beast actually looks like in various
stages of build. He credits the officers of the MTWC in
UK—Brian Courage, Fiona Arthur, Chris Booth, Bob
Angell, and Colin Wilson who have been so generous
with their 3-wheeler lore. Then there’s a wizard named
Don at B&B’s Classics in Sweenie who has done the
rebuilds on engine, starter, dynamo, and prop shaft.
Tommy Cleaver, a metal magician, is redoing the sheet
metal on the tail and has come up with the Ash and Oak
for the frame. Another member of the crew is Spokey in
Sweeny. He’s the cycle man of Texas. Housed in a few
leaky looking sheds along the railroad tracks this guy has
parts and pieces of bikes galore and does really great work
when Gemini is rising.
Kim says that this is the most fun and rewarding project
that he has ever done … all the great contacts he’s
established along the way have something to do with that,
I’m sure.
That’s what makes the Morgan experience so very special,
it opens up a whole new world of like-minded fanatics.
Our little tribe of 14 fanatics who journeyed to visit the
Aero in Kim’s garage was completely impressed by the
progress. It’s exciting to have a 3-wheeler in Mog-Mog!
-Kathi Hoffman
The Restoration Begins
(continued)
We had a very pleasant day trip to
Kim and Janice Freeman’s. Their
hospitality was very much
appreciated. Our trip to see Kim’s
progress on the Aero was
punctuated by a satisfying lunch at
Carino’s restaurant, a trip to
Spokey’s motorcycle shop, and a
return to Kim’s home for dessert,
and a tour of his surprising dentistry
museum (for anyone who missed
Kim’s last hosting)
The aforementioned Spokey’s
motorcycle shop is providing
extensive services to Kim. This
place and this individual are
amazing. Everything on wheels
(from two to four) is very well
represented —all in parts of course.
There is no discernable
categorization, labeling, or easily
identifiable sorting. Of course, the
owner can examine a part and tell
you what vehicle it's from, the
vintage, the country of origin, its
history, who bought it, used it, etc.!
The trip would not have been
complete with a caravan of only 4wheelers. So Dennis & Nancy
Heagney, and Bill & Marguerite
Wally joined us on their
motorcycles. (Apparently, someone
came to pick up some parts for their
bike too!)
Kim tells us we should look forward
to seeing the completed car unveiled
at TEXMOG XXI.
-Henry Marks
A 1933 Super Sport
(Osprey Classic Marques “Morgan” -Rowan Isaac)
Morgan Beginnings Jim Robinson
I first became familiar with
Morgans in 1955 while a
student at Perdue University. I
had an MG TC and my
roommate has a Morgan on
loan from a friend who had
been drafted.
Fast forward to 1969
In 1969 I was beginning the
first of 28 years of overseas
teaching. I had just been hired
by the Department of Defense
and the Netherlands was my
first assignment. My daughter
Kelly was born 2 months later
in Heerlen, The Netherlands.
At the end of our second year,
1970, we decided to travel
around England visiting as
many sites as possible which
included the Morgan works in
Malvern Link. On our way to
Wales, we stopped in. We were made more than welcome
and told to walk about the works as we wished, unguided!
I took slides galore, knowing that we were not likely to
return. We were talking to Mr. Day and admiring the
various new cars when he asked if we were interested in
purchasing a Morgan. I knew that Morgan had just gotten
back into the American market with the +8 and this
seemed like a good time to purchase something really
interesting as well as new. We asked about the procedure
and were told to select a color plus any options from a list.
That was it. We didn’t sign a purchasing agreement nor
put a penny or quid down. We ordered the +8 with U.S.
specifications, silver and black paint, luggage rack, door
handles, and a bonnet strap. I don’t recall any other options
being available at the time. We were told that Morgan
would contact us in approximately 1 year to confirm our
order as ready.
In January or so of 1971, we were notified that our +8 was
ready to be collected and that we were to prepare our final
payment of approximately $4100, and to arrange with
Morgan for a pickup date.
Already in England in 1971 with our school’s track team
for a meet, I released the team to the assistant coach for
their return while I traveled to Malvern Link to collect my
car.
We were assigned to England for 1972-73 where the car
was used extensively and maintained by the Morgan works.
In June 1973, we were reassigned—this time to
Karamursel, Turkey. By now, our daughter Kelly was 5 and
we had a new son, Che, who was 6 months old. When
school was finished in June of 73, we loaded up the Morgan
with Kelly across the back shelf armed with books, Che in
my wife’s lap, a tent with tent poles mounted on the rear
luggage rack, disposable diapers stuffed everywhere
including in the door pockets and under the seats and
headed south.
We camped overnight in the Netherlands, Germany, and
northern Italy. Each stop entailed unloading tent, poles,
cooking stoves, food and kids, only to repack the following
morning after breakfast before setting off again. Vicenza,
Italy was our destination as there was an American base
and access to a travel agent fluent in Italian and English.
We arranged booking on a ferry to Brindisi from Istanbul
and had a grand trip to Turkey.
Upon arrival in Istanbul, our car was impounded as we did The Morgan back to Indianapolis for storage. It resided
not have a custom document, Bayname. Days later, when
there for my 6 years at Incirlik, Turkey. In 1989, I returned
the car was cleared, we drove down to the American base at to the U.S. and San Diego for a year, took the Morgan out
Karamursel,
of storage for
checked in and
painting and then
got housed in a
returned it to
one-room
storage at my
apartment in the
parents home
BOQ. We left
there in 1990.
almost
This time, I was
immediately to
sent to Bahrain
return to
to teach. I was
Vicenza for a
there for the
workshop I was
outbreak of the
to attend. This
Gulf War and
time, we drove
stayed there until
out through
my retirement in
Bulgaria and
1997. Again, out
Yugoslavia
of storage I
with 2 children
shipped the
and camping
Morgan to San
gear on back.
Antonio for
more work, a
After a two week workshop and time to leave approached,
brake rebuild, cooling system work, upholstery
the war broke out between Turkey and Greece. Ferries quit replacement, plus all of the other daily trivia.
running as the waters were too dangerous and we could not
The Morgan, now 29 years old, fully and originally legal
drive out as our visas had expired. Hmm!
with its only owner spends its retirement in our garage
We did eventually find out that there was an unoccupied
waiting for nice weather, a wash, and an occasional outing.
ferry being returned to Istanbul from Brindisi but it was
Neglected in this brief summary of 28 years are stories of
leaving the following day. Reload the Morgan and set out
radiator fan disintegration minutes after purchase, a rearfor a long overnight trip we did to the southeastern tip of
end collision and repairs in Naples, travels through
Italy and hoping to catch the ferry. We made it. This was a
Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, adventures on the Autostrada in
decent-sized ship traveling with only 3 other passengers
Italy, and an ongoing cooling problem. Maybe next time?
plus us but had room for about 200 people. Unfortunately,
there was no room on deck for automobile storage. Got a
-Jim Robinson
problem? Solve it! The solution was easy. Open the doors
on the side of the ship, lay two 2x8 planks from the dock
across to the ship and drive 30 feet over water into the hold
being shared with chickens, potatoes, onions and suck.
To shorten the story, we again cleared customs, drove down
to the American base at Karamursel only to find that
blackout conditions now existed—no light was permitted to
be shown after sundown and movement was restricted. No
night driving was permitted.
We drove the Morgan exclusively for the following two
years until we were transferred to Naples, Italy and picked
up a second car as our schools were in different directions.
We spent seven years in Naples, then returned to Turkey
for another 6 years. Before hitting Turkey this time, I sent
Sambuca Brunch
Henry Marks discovered the Sambuca downtown jazz club and
restaurant by accident. Driving near Sambuca on a Sunday morning
that he decided to stop in. Brunch was on, and the Shari Lavo trio
were playing. The brunch, and the music were phenomenal, as Shari
is a gifted crooner and her back-up musicians, great. The brunch,
while simple, ranged from better-than-he-remembered Southern
style biscuits and gravy, roast beef, and made-to-order omelettes, to
a few delicious high-brow culinary dishes to catch everyone.
It was only natural to schedule a MOGMOG event there. It was a
great success and everything about the experience was top notch. I
ran around getting people to pose for the belated 2001 calendar and
people were very gracious about it. Kim Freeman gave us our first
glimpse into his efforts to make a 1931 Aero 3 rise from the ashes.
We plan to have more Sambuca Sunday brunches this year.
-Morgan Marks
The following is an actual advertisement in an Irish
newspaper:
1985 blue Volkswagen Golf
Only 15km
Only first gear and reverse used
Never driven hard
Original tires
Original brakes
Original fuel and oil
Only 1 driver
Owner wishing to sell due to
employment layoff
Visiting from the UK, Kevin and Sonia Muller
took the time to visit with Bob and Pam
Chamberlain, Kathi Hoffman, and Henry Marks.
It is highly probable that they will be calling
Houston their home for 3-4 years and if this
happens, their +8 Mog will be coming with
them.
Morgan : Marvel or Misfit? by Matthew Carter
I LIKE Mark Hales. He’s a fine racer and a superb road driver—
two skills that don’t always go hand-in-hand. He has driven
almost everything on four wheels, is an experienced chassis
development man and one of the best car appraisers around.
It is not often that I
disagree
fundamentally with
his opinions, but
after reading his
First Drive of the
Morgan Aero 8
(Motoring, January
nd
2 ) I wondered if
we had driven the
same car.
Mark praised the
ground-breaking
bonded aluminum-alloy chassis, the sure-footed suspension and
the powerful BMW V8. True, the Aero 8 drives well—but what
about the rest?
There is no doubting its distinctive looks, but are they really
“impressive”? Beauty, as the cliché goes, is in the eye of the
beholder. If he really likes the looks, I’ll give him the benefit of
the doubt. I’ll also buy him a pair of glasses; then perhaps he’ll
see that the cross-eyed headlamps come from the VW Beetle, not
an upmarket Audi.
Bur surely he will agree that by sticking to traditional Morgan
lines, the styling has severely compromised the car as a whole.
The separate wings and huge running boards not only make
getting into the driving seat an achievement, they also make the
cockpit too narrow.
Unlike virtually every previous Morgan, the Aero 8 does not have
cutaway doors: they were not deemed desireable at this level of
the market. Besides, it has glass side windows (there’s progress),
so sticking an elbow out into the slipstream would be difficult.
Instead, the driver clangs his elbow against the door every time
he turns the wheel.
Mark claims the driving position is good. So it is—until you try
to go anywhere. Then you find the footwell is so narrow that
there is no place for your clutch foot when it’s not in use.
Oh, and the clutch and gearshift are so heavy they feel as if they
came out of a truck rather than a BMW 5-series.
The ergonomics are a disaster. The rather naff, turned-aluminum
dash has dials scattered across it, while the radio laughably sits on
top of the transmission tunnel, roughly in line with the driver’s
calf. Turning up the volume is best done by a double-jointed
passenger. Then there’s the hood. Most modern sports cars have
an electrally operated, triple-layer affair that folds away
underneath a metal tonneau. Raising or lowering takes seconds.
You don’t so much fold the Morgan’s manual hood as furl it
away untidily behind the seats, where it flaps noisily in the
breeze. When it’s up, rearward visibility is virtually non-existent.
Then there’s the question of reliability. It’s not done to mention
these things, especially when the car in question is from a plucky
British manufacturer, but I’m going to break ranks.
From the UK Telegraph—February 14, 2001
The Aero 8 I drove had an electronic glitch in the low tyre
pressure warning system, while the fuel gauge was as dead as
John Cleese’s Norwegian Blue. But at least it went.
A second Aero 8 given to hacks broke before we could break it.
Mark, you wouldn’t overlook such obvious design flaws if the car
had a German badge on its nose, so why forgive Morgan?
In many ways, the Aero 8 fits the image of the traditional British
sports car. It is compromised, draughty, has quirky looks and
questionable build quality. Why should we put up with this? If
Morgan is prepared to charge £50,000, it should have a finish to
match.
Charles Morgan told me that this was the machine to offer sports
car fans a serious alternative to the Porsche Boxster. But from
where I sit, the Boxster S—a full £12,000 less than the Morgan—
offers broadly similar performance in a far more attractive and
practical package.
I know my comments are not going to worry Morgan. The order
book for the Aero 8 is already two years long and growing. But I
wonder how many more people would join this waiting list if its
fabulous chassis, fine road manners and glorious engine were
wrapped in a contemporary shape, with a hood that worked, a
cockpit that didn’t restrict breathing and a driving experience that
could be enjoyed rather than endured.
I still say it’s impressive by Mark Hales
Matthew Carter is kind to venture such compliments. He too is a
professional who is good at what he does, but on this occasion he
has missed the point. The looks of the Aero 8 seem to exercise his
mind more than mine—I never said I liked them, I don’t
particularly—but I still say the overall effect is impressive.
As for the clutch and gearshift, these are straight out of the BMW
5-series with no significant modifications, and to me they felt no
different. Also, I’ve lost count of the cars in which there is no
room for the clutch foot. Clearly, Matthew and I are differently
sized because I was comfortable in the cockpit.
I will agree with him about some of the details; the hood was not
very good on the car I drove and the doors had Perspex windows
that didn’t seal properly. Morgan apologized, saying that some
parts hadn’t arrived in time. I asked them to find me a +8, and set
off on the same test route. The doors shut nicely and didn’t rattle
and the hood was taught and draught-free. The car had a tight,
well-sorted feel. So, as the Aero’s method of body construction is
similar, I was prepared to believe they knew how to fix things.
The time to get the knives out would be when the first production
cars were delivered for official road test.
And this is the point. Morgan makes an ash-framed coachbuilt car
like the Aero 8 because it’s a design and construction method it
knows. The car is compromised and has quirky looks—that’s
why people buy Morgans. In this case, there is blistering
performance as well.
Finally, I don’t see fuel gauge and tyre pressure warning
malfunctions as serious design faults. I have been at German car
launches where such things have broken, but I don’t see the point
in banging on about it unless it’s likely to happen on a regular
basis. And the power steering pump that curtailed Matthew’s
test? That’s a BMW part…
So where do you keep that spare block?
More “48” History
The article in the January Miscellany and the
December issue of Mogazine referred to 3 Series 1
Morgans shipped to Uruguay at the same time.
Chassis
Engine #
Model
1719
Q.332E
4/4/4
1766
Q.382E
4/4/2
1841
Q.460E
4/4/2
From the March 2001 issue of Miscellany
comes the following:
Dear Charles,
When we took the ’48 4-4 out of its container— after
the month and a half trip from Sydney to Houston—the
first thing we did was remove the parcel which was
resting on the back seat/shelf. That is, a spare block for
the Standard engine! So where to put it?
The Answer!
A logical and practical solution might be to make a
coffee table of the block to sit on the living room rug.
In this manner, it takes care of the storage and it also
makes for a wonderful conversation piece, specifically
which Morgans had the Standard engine. A piece of art:
The report in the January Miscellany on the
Series 1 (Chassis 1841) that went originally to
Uruguay and then to Australia followed by a trip to
Houston after restoration caught my eye. The
engine (Q.382) from chassis 1766 now resides in
my competition car (Chassis 926). I acquired the
engine as a ‘spare’ from Graham Dell in Sydney
NSW some years ago and I believe it came to OZ
in the same shipment as the car restored and sold
to the President of the MOGMOG club.
The reason for my using the ‘spare’ for
competition at present is that I ran the big ends
after a massive oil loss on my way to participate in
a ‘round the houses; race meeting last March.
Q.382E is performing quite well. It has a
compression ratio close to 9:1 with bigger valves,
stronger springs, a half-race cam and a balanced
crank, flywheel, etc, as well as a full extraction
exhaust system (with essentially no silencer) and
two ex-mini SU’s on short headers fed by a
somewhat larger fuel line and a Facit-type electric
fuel pump mounted at the tank. It’s great to see
another Series 1 back on the road and being
appreciated by a new owner.
Regards, Craig Atkins, Perth WA, Australia
Not all MOGMOG member Morgans are in pristine
condition. This one needs more than a little TLC.